Most publishers today have neglected their print titles; is it time for a tune-up?

Is your circulation model profitable? How is your target market changing? Do your ad reps know how to sell print in this market?

These are just a few of the questions D. Eadward Tree believes publishers need to be asking about their magazine titles.

While you’ve been dealing with the impact of digital on your business plan, “your print magazine has kept chugging along, probably not as profitable as it used to be but still bringing in most of your revenue. If you’re like many publishers these days, that faithful old jalopy needs some attention—maybe a tune-up to meet the needs of a changed audience, maybe a complete overhaul of its business model,” Tree writes in Publishing Executive.

His advice? Ask the tough questions, from analyzing the real cost of chasing eyeballs to using the magazine itself as a sales tool, rethinking your digital strategy to understanding how programmatic advertising will continue to impact print ad buys.

“It’s time to ask some tough questions about your magazine that could result in that old engine running more profitably,” he notes.

We also like Tree’s companion piece, “10 Questions to Ask Your Magazine Printer,” in which Tree advises publishers to ask questions of your print provider like “what kind of special advertising packages you should pitch to your advertisers and whether to change the paper you use.”

As print’s luxurious future continue to unfold, now’s the perfect time to reconsider what you thought you knew about your print titles and gear up for 2016.